Site of former 1-5 The Square

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Site, on the NW corner of The Square next to the junction with High Street, of a tall two storey pub and house with attic, demolished in 1999 with new pub on site nearing completion.

The building was described in November 1975 as: ‘Two storey high corner block of house and pub with attic. Roof slated, gable ends. Chimneys rendered and [?word unclear]. Wall rendered, lined and painted grey. Eaves frieze band. Left hand pilaster jamb. E front has drop hung first floor windows, horizontal astragals. Ground floor has doorway [with] pilaster jambs and moulding above lintel. [To right of] door, two recent top hung windows [then] wide pub window [then] doorway with narrow fanlight above. Both doors have two steps on public footpath. Condition fair. Frontage about 65ft’.

Historical information

This site is shown occupied on the 1722 map of Comber and on all other maps thereafter. The 1834 valuation survey records that the site at that stage contained two houses in the possession of a John McMeckhan and a Dr. William Clarke. Both of these houses appear to have been quite old at that stage (or were believed to be old), as they were classed by the valuers as ‘C+’, however, both only appear to have been two storey with no mention of the attic level the buildings most recently on the site possessed.

By 1846 both properties were in the hands of a James Jeffrey. Jeffrey is listed as a ‘spirit and porter dealer’ (i.e. a publican) in Slater’s directories of 1846 and 1856, but in the valuation of 1861 and Slater’s directory of 1870, he was using one of the properties as a ‘hotel’. It may have been during Jeffrey’s residence that the roof of the block was raised slightly to give the attic level, although it is possible that the building as a whole dates from this period.

During the 20th century the block continued to serve as a pub and publican’s residence, both of which were acquired by the Milling family, who already owned the house and shop to the south. In c.1955 about 15ft on the north side of the block was demolished as a result of the widening of High Street. In early 1999 the building was demolished completely and a new modern pub erected on the site.

References- Primary sources
1 PRONI D.654/M1B/2 Londonderry Papers- ‘Survey of the town, tenements and parks of Comber…1722’
2 Linen Hall Library ‘Pigot & Co.’s Dublin and Hibernian Provincial Directory’ (Manchester 1824).
3 PRONI OS/1/3/10 OS map, 1st ed. 1834, Down 10.
4 PRONI VAL 1B/316A p.54 1st valuation, Comber, 1834.
5 Linen Hall Library ‘Slater’s National Commercial Directory of Ireland’ (Manchester 1846), p.443.
6 Linen Hall Library ‘Slater’s Royal National Commercial Directory of Ireland’ (Manchester 1856), p.506.
7 PRONI OS/6/3/10/3 OS map, 1st rev. 1858, Down 10.
8 PRONI 2nd valuation, Comber, 1861.
9 Linen Hall Library ‘Slater’s Royal National Commercial Directory of Ireland’ (Manchester 1870).
10 George Henry Bassett ‘County Down Guide and Directory’ (Dublin 1886), pp.303-305.
11 PRONI OS/2/3/10 OS map, 2nd ed. 1901, Down 10.

Secondary sources
1 Norman Nevin ‘The Story of Comber’ (c.1980) [typescript in Comber library].

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

Not listed

Criteria for listing: historic interest

Not listed

Evaluation

Site of large two storey pub and house with attic, of possible pre 1834 origin, but with attic level possibly added in the mid 1800s. In c.1955 part of the building to the north was demolished to make way for the widening of High Street and in 1999 the remainder of the property was demolished and a new public house erected in its place.